Israeli Christians ‘thriving,’ newly appointed envoy says

George Deek, Israel’s newly appointed special envoy to the Christian world, said Wednesday that Christians in the Jewish state “are not just surviving—we are thriving.”

In a video message posted to X, Deek, an Arab-Israeli diplomat from a “Christian family that has lived in this land for centuries”, said his role was to strengthen ties with Christian communities worldwide.

“My mission is simple, to speak the truth, to listen carefully, and to deepen friendship between Israel and Christian communities everywhere,” Deek said.

“In Israel, Christians worship freely, we speak freely and we live freely,” he said, contrasting the Jewish state with other countries in the region, where communities have faced persecution and decline.

Addressing questions over why an Arab Christian would represent Israel, Deek said his support for the Jewish state stemmed from concerns about the treatment of minorities in the Middle East.

“Because I know what this region looks like without Israel,” he said. “When hatred begins with Jews, it never ends with Jews. It reaches Christians, Druze, Yazidis and every minority that refuses to disappear.”

Israel and Christians share a common goal of building a Middle East “where all people can live freely, worship without fear, and pass their faith on to their children in peace,” he said.

Deek concluded by expressing optimism about Jerusalem’s future ties with Christian communities, saying, “our best chapters are still ahead of us, as allies, as friends and as voices for peace.”

Deek’s newly created role aims to bolster Israel’s ties with the Christian world at a time of mounting global turbulence.

A distinguished veteran diplomat who most recently served as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, the envoy is a prominent member of the Arab Christian community in Jaffa. His father, Youssef Deek, long served as chairman of the Orthodox Christian community in the coastal city.